Value Creation Blog

We spend too much of our time complaining about how life is. In reality, for most of us in the United States life is pretty good.

I know that as humans we focus on what’s not working more than what’s working. I would like to encourage you to change your thought process. I would love to see you focus on what’s working in your life.

This is where gratitude fits in. When we take a few minutes to write down or just reflect on what we’re grateful for we’re changing our focus from what’s not working in our world to what is working.

Focusing on what’s working will make your life better.

There’s a school of thought called positive psychology or in the business world it’s often called appreciative inquiry. Both schools ask that we focus on what’s working and to just manage what’s not working.

Too many times we try to fix everything that’s wrong in our life. Too many times those things that are wrong are just out of our control.

There are an awful lot of things that we can control and most are positive. If we spend a few minutes every day thinking about how to magnify the positive you will see something magical happen. You’ll see your life and your satisfaction in life get much better.

Spend a few minutes writing your thoughts every day.

At the very least you want to spend some time thinking about things you’re grateful for. What you really want to do is write it down.

I do this in the form of a journal entry. You can do it in any way you like. You can use a computer like me or just do it old school with pen and paper. What you will find is that at first you might find it a little difficult to write about what you’re grateful for.

In a very short time you’ll find that it becomes easier and instead of a few things, you’ll have ten or more things to be grateful for everyday. When you focus on what’s working and what makes you grateful, your mind will move in that direction.

Isn’t this something you would like to see in your life?

If you really want to kick it up a notch, talk with your loved ones about what you’re grateful for.

This could be a little dicey, especially if you have teenagers at home. You can almost be sure they will roll their eyes and give you a hard time.

If we make the habit of showing gratitude a family thing, then not only are you changing your life, but you’re changing the life of others around you. This is a great gift that you’re giving. It’s one that might be appreciated right away, but it will as time goes on.

In today’s environment where everyone is griping about other people wouldn’t it be nice if you did the opposite? What if you showed gratitude towards others and the gifts you receive from them? For me, this is a much better way to go.

Showing others how you’re grateful for them will change your life.

When you show others that you’re grateful for how they make your life better you’ll be amazed at the response you get. At first, it will surprise others. After they get over their surprise, you’ll find that not only will you feel better, but they’ll likely find their days are better as well.

Here’s what I want you to do. I want you to find five things that you’re grateful for everyday over the next 30 days. If you want to get serious about this, write them down. If you want to kick up a notch, write them down and talk about them with a loved one. I bet if you do this, your life will get better and you’ll end up being happier. Isn’t that something worthwhile?

Why don’t you scroll down and let me know one thing you’re grateful for? And let me know what you plan to do about having a practice of gratitude become part of your life.

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